Scope and Aims
The CISG-AC is a private initiative which aims at promoting a uniform interpretation of the CISG. It is a private initiative in the sense that its members do not represent countries or legal cultures, but they are scholars who look beyond the cooking pot for ideas and for a more profound understanding of issues relating to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods of 11 April 1980 (CISG).
The CISG Advisory Council was founded on the initiative of the inspirational late Prof Albert Kritzer of the Institute of International Commercial Law in 2001. Prof Kritzer was at the forefront of the promotion of the harmonization of international commercial law with initiates like the CISG Advisory Council, the Institute’s database on the CISG and the Willem C Vis Moot.
Internationality and Uniformity
As an independent body of experts, the group is afforded the luxury of being critical of judicial or arbitral decision and of addressing issues not dealt with previously by adjudicating bodies. The Council is guided by the mandate of Article 7 of the Convention as far as its interpretation and application are concerned: the paramount regard to international character of the Convention and the need to promote uniformity.
In line with its objectives, the CISG Advisory Council is also committed to the multinational and multi-lingual character of the CISG. Accordingly the opinions of the Council is being made available in all six of the official languages of the CISG as well as a number of other prominent trade languages. In this the Council is well served by the international composition of its members.
Mode of Operation
In practical terms, the primary purpose of the CISG-AC is to issue opinions relating to the interpretation and application of the Convention on request or on its own initiative. Requests may be submitted to the CISG-AC, in particular, by international organizations, professional associations and adjudication bodies.
Upcoming Meeting and Conference
The CISG Advisory Council has convened its meetings in Lisbon from 29 September to 2 October 2025. As part of this occasion, Council members did participate in the International Conference “CISG at 45: New Perspectives”, taking place on 29 September 2025 at the Law School of the Universidade de Lisboa (University of Lisbon). Jointly organized by the Lisbon Centre for Research in Private Law and the CISG Advisory Council.
Observer Status at UNCITRAL and UNIDROIT
On 10 September 2012 the CISG-AC was granted observer status by UNCITRAL. This enables the CISG-AC to attend meetings of UNCITRAL and its working groups.
On 4 February 2015 the CISG-AC was granted observer status at the Governing Council of UNIDROIT. This enables the CISG-AC to attend meetings of UNIDROIT.
New Opinions and Declarations
The CISG Council has published 23 Opinions and 2 Declarations. The latest opinions are:
For a list of opinions currently under discussion see our Schedule of work page.
New translations
The Council also strive to make the Opinions available in other languages.
The following new translations are now available:
- Opinion 5 in Latvian
- Opinions No 20, 21 and 22 in Spanish
- Opinion No 1 (Revised) Spanish
New case law
The CISG Advisory Council Opinions have been cited in the national courts of 14 different countries in 152 published cases. The latest reported cases are:
Garage Door Systems, LLC v. Blue Giant Equipment Corp., U.S. Court of Appeals (7th Circuit), 11 April 2025
Case text
GT Commodities LLC v. IXM S.A., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 5 August 2025
Case text
[…] v. Clean Mat Trucks B.V., […] v. Clean Mat Trucks B.V., 14 November 2025
Case text
Next CISG Advisory Council Meetings
Next physical meetings will take place in New Zeland, 9-13 March 2026, together with an International Conferencen taking place on the 12 and 13 of March 2026, and in India, 16-20 November 2026.
Regular online meetings are also envisaged.
For more information contact the secretary Ass, Prof Milena Djordjević.